The online poker giant, which rocketed to the number one spot in the market on its first weekend, has seen its cash game traffic decline this month, from a peak of approximately 180 average players to 150 today.

The site still maintains its number one position in the New Jersey market, though its lead over the WSOP/888 network has diminished. The difference between the two is now barely 10 percent.

As PokerStars New Jersey’s traffic has declined, its competition has held steady. Over the last two weeks partypoker/Borgata has maintained the same traffic, at approximately 100 concurrent cash game seats; WSOP/888 is down just a few percentage points.

An initial spike for PokerStars NJ traffic in the first days – as New Jersey players flocked to the new site – followed by a period of decline – as the novelty wears off—was to be expected. The New Jersey market is still much larger thanks to the addition of PokerStars, and the figures are making it clear that the new network has had an additive effect on the industry as a whole.

Over the last month, the cash game market is up 22 percent, and year-on-year it is up 28 percent.

For a brief period two weeks ago, PokerStars New Jersey was the biggest online poker room in the regulated U.S. markets. On March 25, the site overtook WSOP Nevada / Delaware , a network that comprises the WSOP.com online poker room in Nevada and the three racinos in Delaware.

The pole position lasted until April 5, when traffic at the Nevada/Delaware network rose 5 percent during the week as it starts its upwards trend towards the WSOP summer series.

PokerStars will be attracting significant attention from players and media when its first Spring Championship of Online Poker in the New Jersey market gets underway. A preliminary schedule has been released and, while no dates are set, it is expected to coincide with SCOOP on its dot-com network, which starts in just under a month.

This article is syndicated by the leading poker industry news authority, Poker Industry PRO.